The firing of Vancouver’s school board echoes the last time the province fired the VSB back in the 1980s. Back then, a fiery response had much different results.

In 1984, COPE (the Coalition of Progressive Electors) won a bare majority on the school board, electing five of the nine trustees. They campaigned very heavily on a no-cuts budget.

The Socreds were in power provincially, and the B.C. government had been under-funding the Vancouver School Board for years. (Does this sound familiar?) But the big difference was how progressive forces in Vancouver responded in the ’80s.

COPE made it clear they would only pass a budget that addressed needs, not necessarily a balanced budget, even if that meant passing a deficit budget. The gloves were off!

When the then-education minister issued an ultimatum — implement the cuts needed to balance the budget or be fired — the COPE trustees stood firm and the community stood behind them.

After the board was fired, people took to the streets. The person appointed by the government to take over reached the same conclusion — the budget was already very lean and more cuts were draconian. The province had no choice but to call a by-election, and all nine of the trustees elected were COPE!

The takeaway: The public is more than willing to stand with progressive politicians if they are willing to stand up for the public.

Tim Louis, lawyer and activist, co-chair COPE

Firing school board unacceptable

Re: Province is already in control, so why bother with elected boards?, Column, Oct. 19

Pete McMartin cites New York and Chicago as examples of jurisdictions without school boards; however, under the American system of government, control of the education system is still local. Unless the Vancouver government has the right to make taxing and spending decisions, as cities do in the U.S., then the resulting system is undemocratic. His Canadian examples were unsuccessful for that reason.

In Vancouver, we have no ability to hold the province accountable as only four of 11 Vancouver MLAs are B.C. Liberals. The provincial government doesn’t care whether Vancouver parents agree or not with their decisions, because they don’t need Vancouver’s support to win elections. For this reason, I view the education minister’s firing of the board as unacceptable.

Decentralization of tax authority and decision-making power to local cities and regions would be a much more democratic system, but we’re unlikely to see that sort of political change.

Leslie Wilkes, Vancouver

Province’s policies pummel public education

The provincial government has downloaded increasing costs to school districts — including the carbon tax. The number of students with special needs and learning challenges has increased over the last 10 years from 9,500 to 16,500.

Education funding in B.C. is $1,000 lower per student than the Canadian average. K-12 funding has fallen steadily from 3.3 per cent of B.C.’s GDP in 2001 to a projected 2.5 per cent in the 2016 budget — a 25-per-cent decline.

B.C.’s funding formula is flawed. The government has failed to formulate equitable educational policies. It needs to be changed. Priorities need refocusing. Government is showing a $1.9-billion surplus, yet social services and schools suffer.

Educators and trustees need autonomy to make wise, professional decisions. No more cutbacks and imposition of policies formed without thoughtful consultation with educators. Education is a right, not a privilege.

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